


The Phoenix and the Oak

by WonderWafles



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: And a post apocalyptic winter, And knightly exploits, F/M, Iron Lord - Warlord relationship, Lots of fighting eating and sports, The Dark Age (Destiny), With romance squeezed in here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2020-09-16
Packaged: 2020-09-23 17:54:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20344258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WonderWafles/pseuds/WonderWafles
Summary: The Iron Lords' long war is winding to a close - most of the Warlords on Earth have surrendered, and a settlement beneath the Traveler is beginning to flourish. Efrideet is sent to negotiate with one of the last Warlords - only to find that he doesn't act like any Warlord she's ever met.





	1. Arrival

The storm had come howling through the pass like a beast alive, clawing at every living thing that had not had the good fortune - or sense - to find shelter by now. The ground here was buried beneath such snow that a tall human might pass through it up to their chest, and the wind could strip your skin off of your bones if you weren’t careful.

The mountains, during this time of year, were impassable on a pleasant day. Many caravans and lone travelers made the decision to circle around them even in the heat of summer, fearful of their treacherousness. 

The storm was quick in its descent, but heralded by fearsome clouds and ominous lightning for hours. All others had fled. It was the height of stubbornness and pride - and foolishness - to attempt a crossing now.

These thoughts and more crossed Tolliba’s mind as she stared at a woman, lying dead in the pass. Her body was already beginning to be covered by the snow.

She sighed, and worked her magic.

The woman gasped, and clawed her way up out of the snow. Her face was obscured by a helmet, but as she turned towards Tolliba, she knew that the woman’s eyes were fixed upon her, her body shuddering with panting breaths.

“Okay,” the woman said. “So maybe I should have found cover.”

…

Two resurrections and a lot of hiking later, Efrideet had found a cave.

It wasn't much to speak of, she had to admit. The cold and the wind still gnawed at her, but it was an escape from the worst of it. And, at least it was dry here.

"So," her Ghost said, circling her with poorly concealed anxiety. "What did we learn?"

"Tch," Efrideet said, brushing frost out of her hair. "Trust the old villager when she tells you her knee is acting up?" 

"Close,” Tolliba said. “I was more going for, ‘trust your Ghost when she says she detects a storm approaching’, but you’re getting there.”

Efrideet had gathered some roots and tree branches from her path up the mountain. They were soaked through now, but she hoped with the right sort of attention, they could still be useful.

Carefully, she warmed her hand. The fire wasn't always easy to control.

"Careful," Tolliba fretted. "We don't want to attract the wrong sort of attention." 

"If there are any Fallen brave enough to follow my fire all the way up here, I'll give them my cloak," Efrideet declared. 

The flame began in fits and starts, but eventually began to burn. It wasn't anything special, but it would do for the night.

"So," Efrideet said, leaning back. The fire cast shadows on the wall, lean and strange. "How far out are we?"

"It's hard to tell," Tolliba said. "But the camp should be on the plain ahead of us, assuming it won't be buried when we get there."

Efrideet glanced outside. The wind howled, but it was difficult to see anything. "Fair point," she said. 

Talking about the camp made her a bit twitchy. Going into a Warlord's stronghold alone, even on a diplomatic mission, was something she felt she had the right to be a bit twitchy about.

She was armed, of course, but only with a good sniper - which wouldn't be very useful from inside the camp - and a sidearm for personal defense. 

Saladin had argued in favor of her taking a rocket launcher, just in case, but Radegast thought it would be unwise to come armed to the teeth. Warlords were spooked easily, especially now that the power of the Iron Lords was becoming undeniable. Skorri had counseled her to take one because it would make a certain rhyme she was working on easier if she were able to use “explosion”.

Ultimately, though, the decision was hers. She had forsaken the rocket. 

She laid down upon her side and closed her eyes. "Goodnight, little light," she said through a yawn. "Wake me when the storm has passed."

Tolliba looked out at the wind and the sky, made unseeable by an endlessly raging cloud of snow and darkness. "Uh, yeah," she said.

…

When the morning came, the storm had ended, leaving the world white and bright enough in the light of the sun to stab daggers through your eyes.

Efrideet emerged at the mouth of her cave and looked down at the path before her. It was still buried in snow, up to her sternum, but that didn’t matter very much. She could already feel her Light beginning to rise as heat and flame, the palms of her hands sparking with fire.

“I wonder if Radegast would consider this a good use of my inner Light,” Efrideet mused as she made her way out, the snow melting and running away around her.

“I think Radegast would be pleased at any novel uses of the Light,” Tolliba said. 

“Hmm.” Efrideet didn’t answer, continuing to fight her way to the top of the hill.

Eventually, she came to the top of the slope, and looked down upon the valley.

It was almost too snow-cloaked too see - or at least it would have been, if there hadn’t been a great fire burning in the middle of the camp. Efrideet guessed it was Light-kindled, because she had no idea how one would go about setting a fire in this climate.

It was called Teseida, and in it was the man she was looking for.

“I think that’s our place,” Efrideet said, rekindling the fire in her hands.

“How are we going to get there?” her Ghost asked. “The long way?”

“Looks like it,” Efrideet said. 

Tolliba sighed. “I’ll stand by for resurrection,” she said.

…

Efrideet saw the first human being she’d seen in a week about an hour later, along a burgeoning road towards the stronghold.

She put her Light away, instinctively drawing her cloak around her so that she looked like a regular human pilgrim - then relaxed as she realized her Iron Lord regalia would give her away anyway.

The man stopped his work shoveling snow and stared at her. “Hail, Iron Lord,” he said, although he didn’t sound thrilled.

“Well met,” Efrideet said. “I’m on my way to Teseida.” She pointed ahead, where (she hoped) the stronghold would lie. “Would I be hasty to guess that you live there?”

The man stuck his broad shovel in the snow. There was no surprise on his face, and to Efrideet’s surprise, there was no fear either. Some kind of interest, perhaps, but ? Efrideet had no idea what it would be like to be a normal person meeting one of the Risen. Unless they were screaming and running away, she tended not to wonder.

“Yes,” he said. He gestured towards the snow. “We’re plowing a road, hopefully out towards the village on the other side of the mountain. We want to preserve the supply route long as we can, before the winter really gets going.”

“That’s a long way to go,” Efrideet said. Her first instinct was to offer to help, but she wanted to be in Teseida by the afternoon, and the sun was already high in the sky. 

“Not so long with all of us working,” he said. He remembered himself with a barely visible shake of the head. “Right, Teseida. You’ll want to just follow this road - it’ll get more like a road and less like a rut the further you go, I promise - and you’ll be there.”

“Thank you,” Efrideet said. She didn’t have any money to give him and could not offer aid yet, so she just nodded at him and began to make her way north.

As she walked, the path indeed begin to widen. More people appeared at various points, and as Efrideet greeted them, she noticed their numbers growing. Never more than three at a time, but she felt herself release tension she hadn't known she'd been holding. She was close. Her journey was almost over, and as if on queue, weariness began to creep up her body. A cave was not a restful place to sleep, and she had been traveling for days.

Still, as the meager walls of the village became clear to her, she almost yelled aloud when she saw a man, young-looking and decently armed, using Solar fire to clear the snow in much the same way as her. A cold finger of dread tickled her heart.

Another Risen so close to a Warlord's stronghold?

He was using Solar like it was no big deal. Some Risen flaunted their powers, while others hid them, not wanting to draw attention. She didn't think she'd ever seen one use it with this sort of casual indifference.

The man nodded friendly-like as she approached. "You're a Risen," she blurted out, unable to keep some recrimination out of her voice, as though she were barking at a young Iron Lord with discipline issues.

"I am," he said cautiously. "Who's asking?" He looked askance at the Iron Lord insignia on her breast.

She frowned. If the man wasn't hostile, she supposed she had no quarrel with him. She couldn't help the fact that it bothered - and surprised - her to see someone like him… doing what? Being a snow plower? She supposed it would explain how they'd gotten so far in only half of a day, though.

"Nobody," she said, trying to keep her voice positive and airy. "Do you know if the Lord of Teseida is home?"

"Don't know where else he'd be," the other Risen said, his eyes narrowing. "Nobody goes anywhere when the snows set in, much as we're trying." He gestured towards the ground he'd been thawing.

"Right," Efrideet said. "Well, I won't bother you further." She made to leave.

"Good," the man said to her back, with an arrogance she found familiar in unaffiliated Risen. She ignored him as she made her way further down the road.

A light snow was falling by the time she made it to the gate. Made of wood and reinforced in choice areas by spinmetal, it was a fine enough thing. She'd seen a lot of flimsy gates in her time, and this one was, at least, not that.

She hesitated, unsure if she should expect a herald to open the gate for her. Some warlords liked that sort of thing, and especially liked when visitors were made to wait. It made her boil, but she was on a diplomatic mission.

No such person appeared. Efrideet hesitantly tapped the gate open. It wasn't even locked.

Inside, most of the snow was cleared out. As she made her way inside, she noticed a multitude of people going about their days. Some were carrying baskets filled with salted meat, and dried fruit. Children played in the snow, while their parents haggled with merchants.

It was… serene. Efrideet made an effort to remember where she was, and who she was talking to.

The good news was that the Warlord's building was unmistakable. Towering over the other buildings in the little village by at least two storeys, it was built out of pinewood and very sturdy looking. 

The bad news was that around it, she counted more Risen, using their Light as flagrantly as the man out on the road. Some were sparking Arc in their hands doing tricks for their friends, others calling up little sparks of Solar to clear out any inconvenient snow in their path. One was using her fire to heat up a plate full of food. She counted four in total, all around the camp.

As she watched, a pair of them broke off to make their way towards her.

She sized them up. A man and a woman, the woman big and imposing like Jolder, the man as lean as Perun. She fought the urge to reach for her gun, and instead felt her Light surge upward, ready for her touch to send it burning outwards.

She hesitated. Too many civilians around. If this Warlord really had sent these Risen out to jump her, she felt fairly confident about her ability to win - but not without collateral.

The two Risen stopped in front of her. Eyes like fire burned into her, and she couldn't tell which of them was more unhappy to see her.

"You're the Iron Lord?" the man asked.

"Yes," Efrideet said. She kept her Light on standby.

The woman nodded briskly. "Lord Shaxx will meet with you."

Shaxx. That was the right name. "Now?" Efrideet asked.

"Yeah, now," the man said. He nodded towards the great building. He and his companion turned, expecting Efrideet to follow as they made their way forward.

Efrideet had half a mind to let this Shaxx person know what she thought of this blatant show of intimidation, and if she were here for any other reason, she might have.

Of course, if she were here for any other reason, there would be a fireteam of Iron Lords behind her. She mastered her anger for the time being.

At least, she reflected, once they were inside the great building, there would be less chance of civilian casualties if the other Risen tried anything.

As they passed under the overhang above the entrance, Efrideet's gaze wandered up to an odd-looking skull mounted on the wall. It looked like a lizard with great tusks, staring hollowly outwards. She suppressed a shudder and moved on.

The two Risen ahead of her stood on either side of a very fortified door, braced themselves, and pushed it open. The woman's side opened easily, and she graciously finished the job for her companion, who glared at her. She grinned back.

Efrideet's eyes, however, were quickly fixed upon the man at the other end of the room.

He was sat upon something less grand than a throne, but certainly more than a simple chair. He was clothed in furs, and his hair and beard were long but not unkempt. His dark skin was criss-crossed with pale slivers that might have been natural discoloration, and might have been scars. Besides simple looking pants and a shirt, he was wearing nothing but a set of fine necklaces and amulets that seemed to glow warmly against his skin in the light of a fire burning in a fireplace Efrideet hadn't noticed.

He was also big. Bigger than Saladin, and probably Radegast, too. He was talking merrily with someone standing near the throne, but as he saw her, he fell silent. 

His face, however, lost none of its warmth. "Iron Lady Efrideet," he boomed. Or perhaps that was just his normal speaking voice. The rest of the hall had gone silent, with only the crackling of the fire and the light sound of the wind in the background.

"Warlord Shaxx," she said, offering a bow that was respectful but not deferential. "Lord Radegast sends his greetings, and hopes you are well."

She paused for a moment, and then removed her own helmet. She knew her hair must be mussed up by now, but something about Shaxx made her think he wouldn't care much about that.

Shaxx grinned. "Of course he does, now." Some of the people in his court laughed at that.

"I'm glad you could make it," he continued. "I hoped the storm wouldn't delay you too much." He regarded her like he was impressed.

She didn't acknowledge his look. "It was not too much trouble," she said.

Shaxx laughed, a formidable sound. Efrideet wondered if she'd passed some sort of test. "Of course! Now, let's see if we can find you accommodation.”

Before she could say anything, he waved his hands, and two of his people set out - presumably, to see if there was any room available.

Efrideet set her jaw. She was more familiar with this, the casual way the Warlord commanded those around him, the way he made her wait to see if there was anywhere she could sleep.

Her fingers teased the edge of her cloak, in lieu of her gun. “If there is nowhere to sleep, I can find somewhere to stay,” she said, deliberately riding the line between refusing hospitality and being polite. Regardless, she added a joke to make her tone lighter. “I’m a Hunter. Finding places to sleep is… sort of my thing.”

Shaxx didn’t react the way she expected him to. He leaned back, eyes widening somewhat, as though she had offered offense. She was about to apologize when he said, voice booming along the interior of the court, “I would offer my own bed before I let a guest sleep out in the snow! Don’t worry. We’ll find something.”

He continued to surprise her when he offered her a place to sit, next to his throne. “To rest from your journey,” he said, more of that strange respect in his voice. 

She took the offered chair. It was no lower than Shaxx’s, and they could look each other in the eye, almost. “While we wait,” Shaxx said, “tell us a story. What was the journey like?"

Efrideet could feel a multitude of eyes bore into her. She wondered if everyone in the room was as eager to hear about her trek as Shaxx seemed to be, or if they were watching her, seeing how she reacted to the attention of their lord.

She told them everything. Radegast might not approve, but Radegast was paranoid, and she didn't think there was anything compromising about her story, anything that could endanger the Iron Temple. Everyone knew where it was - it was only that none dared approach it with ill-intent.

For what it was worth, Shaxx was the best audience a Hunter could ask for. He laughed at the appropriate points, repeated after her incredulously ("The villager said WHAT?"), and otherwise made it sound like he only wished he could have been there, even as the rest of the room's attention gradually began to drift.

Efrideet wasn't sure if she liked it or not. It was gratifying, she couldn't deny that. She wondered, though, how much of it was genuine interest, and how much was political flattery. She had only just met the man, but she could already tell it would be difficult to get a bead on him.

It was as Efrideet was recounting her Sisyphian climb up the mountain (although she wouldn't call it that) that Shaxx's attendants came back.

One grinned at her crookedly. Light-bearer, she thought inwardly. 

"Your room is ready, Lady Efrideet," the other one said, trying her damndest not to sound stiff and terrified. Efrideet gave her a smile, but she wasn't sure it helped much.

"Well, another time, then," Shaxx said, disappointed. Then, his voice turned business-like, if not unfriendly. "Tomorrow we'll talk about the treaty," he said. "Meet me here at ten. Oh, and if you're hungry, there'll be dinner tonight at the mess hall, but if you wanted to sleep the rest of the day, I could hardly blame you!"

That was the sort of thing she meant - that curious Schrödinger balance between familiarity, genuine, if yet unearned, and insult. Shaxx's grin, at least, gave no indication that it was the latter.

"I'll be there," Efrideet promised, although she felt the exhaustion from the road beginning to creep up again. She nodded at him. "Thank you for your hospitality. I look forward to speaking with you tomorrow."

"I will see you there, then," Shaxx said, grinning like she'd given him a gift.


	2. Winter

Cold, gray light greeted Efrideet as she opened her eyes the next morning.

She turned over, but she had to admit that being woken to a dark morning was better than the alternative where her mood was concerned.

“Tolliba?” she asked groggily. “What time is it?”

“Nine,” Tolliba said. “You have an hour before you meet with Shaxx.”

“Oh, good,” Efrideet said, although it may have been closer to “Ohf, goof” as she sank her head into the strangely luxuriant pillow again.

The gears in her head started to turn at the mention of the name Shaxx. In a few seconds, she sat bolt upright, the sleepiness clearing from her head like mist on a spring morning.

“Oh no,” Efrideet said. “Ohhhh no.”

“What’s wrong?” Tolliba asked, her shell rotating anxiously. 

“I-" Efrideet narrowed her eyes. "I blame you for this."

"Naturally, but I still don't know what it is."

The Hunter slid down on her bed, nearly collapsing entirely. "Dinner with Shaxx," she said, drawing her hands down her face. "He invited me, and I said I'd be there, remember?"

Hazy memories of the previous night came together in her head. She must have gone to her room and collapsed straightaway.

"Oh," Tolliba said. "Right."

"You remembered."

"I thought you could use the sleep."

"Tolliba," Efrideet said, "I appreciate it, but you have to know what we're dealing with here." She almost went with something snappier, but she knew she didn’t mean it, and in any case she was not in the habit of pissing off the person who could bring her back from the dead.

"What?" the Ghost asked, sounding a smidgen defensive. "It was just a dinner. The only thing you needed to be at was the thing for today."

Efrideet got up and started tugging on her boots. This was hard to explain. Most of what she knew about this only came from reports from other Iron Lords. "Warlords get… twitchy when you aren't doing what they want you to do," she began. "Even if it’s not… you know, strictly diplomatic."

"I understand," Tolliba said. "I'm sorry."

Efrideet had never been angry with her oldest friend before - not for long, anyway - and was not about to start now. 

But before she could say that, there was a knock on the door. She paused with only one boot on.

The knocker turned out to be one of the young men from Shaxx's court. Efrideet tried to suppress a cringe, hoping he didn't come bearing bad news.

"Lord Shaxx would like to see you at your earliest convenience," the man said, looking like he wanted to be elsewhere.

"Okay," Efrideet said, the nerves in her stomach tightening. "I will meet him…?"

"In the dining hall," the young man supplied. 

"Oh, uh." Efrideet was surprised. "Okay. I'll be there."

When the man left, Efrideet turned back to Tolliba, unable to hide the confusion on her face. "Is this a power move?" she asked. "I feel like this is a power move."

Tolliba could only turn her shell again in the Ghost equivalent of a shrug.

Efrideet finished with her boots and, for the finishing touch, shrugged on her mantle, stitched only last spring, proudly bearing the symbol of the Iron Lords.

"Let's go.”

…

Shaxx greeted her in a dining hall that, despite its size, contained for now only the two of them and a platter of food that, while large, wasn't quite big enough to cover the massive table in the center.

"Lady Efrideet!" he bellowed, waving her down as though she weren't the only one standing at the door.

"Lord Shaxx," she called back. "I-” She paused, unsure how to phrase an apology in a way that was genuine but not indicating submission.

“Come sit,” Shaxx said, when his gestures didn’t seem to be working. “Let’s have breakfast together.”

Efrideet approached as though she were coming up upon a slumbering Fallen Walker. She sat where he indicated, at his right hand. It was a position usually reserved as a place of honor for a guest. The gesture did not exactly quiet her nerves, but it did calm them, briefly.

"Thank you," Efrideet said, nodding respectfully.

"You're welcome!" Something in Shaxx's tone indicated that he was amused. "I know you didn't come to dinner last night."

Efrideet nearly froze as she helped herself to some bacon. "I… didn't, no," she said. "My apologies. I sat down on my bed last night and must have gone right to sleep." She paused, letting her words dangle out in the open air between them. She waited for a rebuke.

"Apologies!" Shaxx definitely sounded like he was suppressing laughter now. "Nothing to apologize for. I only invited you to breakfast because I thought you might be hungry before we sat down and got to business."

Efrideet certainly was that. As a Guardian, she didn't technically need to eat - but it was a creature comfort. Shaxx's own plate was as a smooth rock buried in an avalanche of bacon, poached eggs, and pastries.

"Oh," Efrideet said, hoping she managed to hide her surprise. "Thank you. That is… not a courtesy I would expect from other Warlords."

For an instant Shaxx didn't react and Efrideet wondered if she'd stepped over a line. He took a bite of eggs and seemed for a few moments to be in serious contemplation.

He swallowed. Then he nodded, equally seriously. "That is true," he said sagely, and then took another bite.

The conversation progressed. Both of them instinctively avoided anything to do with work or diplomacy, knowing they would get to it after the meal. Instead, Shaxx asked her for good stories, and told one of his own, about a performer in a village he'd wound up in not long after he was revived. The twist was that she was an Ahamkara all along. Efrideet wondered how true it could be, which was the hallmark of any good story.

When they finished, Efrideet was certain it was past ten, but Shaxx didn't seem to care. "Okay, then," he said, sounding more off-balance than he'd had since she met him, perhaps the result of being very full of a lot of food. Efrideet felt a sudden liking for him just then. "Let's… talk."

The path from the dining hall to the main building was not very long, but Shaxx kept up his chatter throughout. It didn't bother Efrideet quite as much as it bothered her when Skorri came to her with a new verse idea and next thing you knew, it was dawn again. Shaxx talked for the joy of talking, not in general, but to her. At least, that's what it felt like.

The man was a damn good diplomat. She wondered if she should be taking notes.

Shaxx's good mood didn't seem to diminish when he barked something at the two guards, the Light-bearer and mortal duo, at the front of the building.

It was another language, one Efrideet didn't know. Old German, maybe? It must have been a joke, because all three of them laughed.

"I think I want to join the tournament," the Light-bearer said to Shaxx.

"That's good!" Shaxx replied. "The more the merrier. What's your weapon?"

"Hand-to-hand," he said. An air of decisiveness, but not certainty, indicated that he had thought long about it and wasn't sure even of this answer. 

"That's good," Shaxx approved. "Hand-to-hand is fun to watch, and even more so to be in the midst of. Watch yourself."

He clapped the man on the back as the Risen looked slightly sickly. As soon as Shaxx's massive hand was on his shoulder, he relaxed. He and his companion opened the doors, allowing Efrideet once again the sight of Shaxx's throne room.

It was empty, Efrideet marked. All of the courtiers and visitors from last night had cleared out. Not as strange as anything else about Shaxx, but Efrideet had known Warlords to keep beautiful men and women whose job it was to stand around and look nice, or workers who were constantly around to polish the ornamentation and clean the floor.

"So," the big Warlord said, casually. He wasted no time in taking his seat once again. "You've been wanting to get down to business, I would guess?"

"Lord Radegast wanted me to present you with a list of conditions," Efrideet said. "For your cooperation." Perun had advised her to find a nicer word to put in the place of _ surrender _.

Shaxx didn't react nearly as much as Efrideet expected him to. "I see," he said.

Efrideet pressed right in. "May I read them off?"

"Please."

She decided to get the worst out of the way. "The first stipulation is that you must cede your territory. All of the lands considered yours will become the property of the Iron Banner." 

Shaxx considered her for a second. She maintained a steady gaze in reply.

“Alright,” he said, waving his hand. “What else?”

“Oh!” Efrideet said. Her mind blanked for a second. “That’s alright? You have no furhter stipulations?”

“I can do that?” Shaxx asked.

Efrideet kicked herself. “Well, it’s a negotiation,” she replied.

“Right!” Shaxx grinned, a little bit of awkwardness making it even more charismatic. “I don’t think so.” He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head. He waved his hand in a _ go-on _ motion.

She stumbled over the first few words of the next condition. “Uh, well, Lord Radegast wishes your cooperation in any Iron Lord operations, providing military or material support, whichever you are able to.”

As she went down the list, she found that the conditions that normally stumped Warlords, Shaxx did not have a problem with. The first one - the cessation of territory - was one that could drive negotiations into the ground, or in some cases, cause a reopening of hostilities. Efrideet knew of several such occasions - she had participated in burning their houses to the ground, afterwards.

Radegast would not budge on it, however. He believed that part of the Iron Decree meant that no Risen could claim their own territory - either it belonged to the Iron Banner, or it was unlawfully held.

Uncompromising, perhaps. Efrideet had entertained debates on the matter from several new recruits in her time, and she knew Radegast heard his fair share of complaints on it. He did not show any sign of budging on it, and she agreed with him, for the most part.

In any case, to Shaxx, it was nothing. On the other hand, though, some conditions Efrideet thought would be a blowthrough, Shaxx baulked at.

“What do you mean I would relinquish my title?” he asked her at one point. “I wouldn’t be a Warlord anymore?”

Efrideet blinked. “Well, yeah,” she said. “Basically, you would stop publicly calling yourself a Warlord or Lord or anything like that around other Risen. Or civilians, for that matter.”

“Absolutely not,” he said, leaning forward. “Lord Shaxx is what I go by.” His voice carried the weight of steel.

“I’m… sure that can be renegotiated.”

That seemed to satiate Shaxx, and he seemed to relax again.

The biggest roadblock, though, was the last one. “After an intermediary period wherein the path is ensured to be safe - you know, a couple of years at most - all residents of Teseida will be escorted by the Pilgrim Guard to the Last Safe City.”

Silence greeted her. She looked up at Shaxx, whose brow was furrowed in - concentration? Worry?

“No,” he said.

“You’re going to keep them here?” Efrideet asked.

“They’re not going to want to leave. Teseida is their home, Risen or not. It’s _ our _home.” He sat up straighter, and even sitting down, looked as though he had assumed a guarding stance. “We’re not leaving.”

Efrideet picked her words carefully. “The Iron Lords and the Pilgrim Guard will make sure the passage is safe, if that’s what you’re worried about,” she said.

“It’s not. I’m worried that we’re being made to abandon our homes and travel down an uncertain path, far to the south, when we don’t want to. That’s all.” After saying this, Shaxx seemed to realize his own tension, and sat down more fully. He dropped his likely unconscious stance, but his expression held the same resolve.

Well, blast it. That was the _ other _foundational tenet. Radegast might make an exception for Shaxx to keep his name, but he wouldn’t for this. After his remarkably easy acquiescence to the first one, she was hoping -

It didn’t matter. She made note of his objection, and wondered what she could say to convince him otherwise.

It wasn’t her place to make such decisions, though. Her job was to make note of Shaxx’s response and bring it back to the Iron Temple. “Thank you for your time,” she said.

“Is that it?” Shaxx asked.

“Well, yes,” she said, dematerializing the list. Tolliba, she was sure, had already made note of all of it. “I’ll need to bring them back to Lord Radegast, then he will answer you, and then you’ll answer him, so on and so forth, until you’ve reached an agreement.”

“And you’re leaving…?”

“As soon as possible, preferably.” She frowned. “Er. Not that I’m just dying to get out of here, I mean-”

Shaxx waved his hand. “Right! Well, we’ll be having dinner again tonight. I wonder if you'd like to join us?" 

Efrideet raised an eyebrow. "I should like to," she said.

Shaxx found that hilarious. He was nearly doubled over on his chair, laughing hard enough to nearly go silent.

"I should hope so!" Shaxx eventually crowed.

Efrideet made her excuses as soon as Shaxx had calmed down, and returned to her room.

…

She didn't have too much trouble finding the dining hall - it was the only place in the village where the lights were still burning. She encountered only a handful of people outside, most of whom were finished plowing the snow.

Not that it was doing them much good. Efrideet marked the first flakes of new snow as soon as she left her dwelling, and even now she noticed they were beginning to come down harder. Above them, the sky was thick and gray.

"Gonna be a bad season," one of them confirmed to her.

She felt bad about moving on without helping, but it wouldn't do to miss a second night in a row.

She pushed aside the woven beads that mad up the door. Inside, she could hear talking and laughter, and feel the warmth of the fire. She smiled. It was like she was back at the Iron Temple. For a second.

Near the door some of the Risen she'd encountered on the road were seated, plus more she didn’t recognize. To her surprise, they smiled at her, but did not go as far as to invite her to sit down with them.

She didn't spot Shaxx in the dining hall. There was nowhere immediately apparent that seemed like the place a Warlord would sit to eat.

It seemed expected of her to serve herself. The food was not exactly lavish, she had to admit, but for a frontier town on the edge of winter, it was decent. She took a scrawny leg of rabbit and some slices of steamed potato towards her own table near the back.

Then, she stopped. She looked towards the table of Risen, and steered herself towards them.

They eyed her surprise, and then some hints of wariness. (Some of them must be new. New Risen were so bad at hiding their emotions. Old ones were made to learn.) They made room for her regardless.

“My name is Efrideet,” she said, as warmly as she could. 

Some of them had to know by now, but they all nodded in response. “I’m Nadia,” one woman said.

One by one, the rest of them introduced themselves. The man she’d met on the street was named Waldren, and he was the most cordial to her, and the least warm. The others inhabited various stages of standoffish, which Efrideet was fine with. Her only goal now was to make sure there was no trouble coming.

"What do you think of Teseida?" Nadia asked, very politely.

"It's very nice," Efrideet replied, surprising herself with the sincerity of her answer. "It's much more established than many villages I've seen this far north."

"I'm sure it's no Iron Temple," a man named Yulter said.

Efrideet did not rise to the bait. "Not being on top of a mountain is a nice change," she said. "Easier access to the grocery store, that sort of thing."

A rumble of laughter ran through the group. It died just as quickly, but Efrideet was happy to hear it. She would never be on comfortable terms with another, non-Iron Lord Risen, but she liked to come as close as she could.

"So," she said, as the conversation lapsed. "Are you all guests of Lord Shaxx?"

"Something like that," Yulter said. Efrideet thought he was just being rude at first, but the other Risen looked at him as though they agreed with him - hesitantly. Nobody seemed willing to attempt a clarification.

As Efrideet was puzzling out how to push the point, the dining hall quieted.

It was as though a blanket had fallen upon a muttering engine. She twisted around to ascertain the source.

A mountain of a man Efrideet recognized as Shaxx had entered the hall. He grinned at everyone, but the smile vanished quickly as he took his seat at the head table, alongside some others from his court.

Someone whooped. This was quickly followed by a cheer, and soon the whole building was greeting Shaxx like a celebrity.

No, not like that. If he were any other Warlord, Shaxx would be entertaining their hurried applause, before silencing them with a glare. These people greeted him as a friend, or a drinking buddy who had done something spectacular in the battle they were celebrating.

Shaxx stood up and greeted everyone. The contents of his small speech, Efrideet let skate past her. She was more focused on his demeanor, which she did not like. He was reserved, fidgeting slightly. 

Nervous? Efrideet guessed so. She didn't know the man very well, but she knew enough to say with confidence that something was up.

The guests cheered again as Shaxx wrapped up. One woman shouted "toast!", although no one but Efrideet seemed to hear her.

"Now, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Shaxx said. "The snow storm tonight is going to bury everything around us all the way to the mountains by the morning."

Some mumbling.

"I've made the decision that the time for trade has passed. We're abandoning the routes and shutting up Teseida until the spring."

Efrideet felt her stomach tighten. 

"Everyone here are ordered to remain within the walls until then." Shaxx seemed to brighten. "On the other hand, we have a surplus this year. We should be fine."

"What about the tournament?" someone at her table shouted. A few voices were raised in agreement.

"It'll go on as usual," Shaxx replied. Another small cheer greeted that, and the Lord of Teseida seemed to relax at the sound of it.

As she ate her dinner, Efrideet was anything but.

…

"You're closing Teseida?"

Shaxx was caught off-guard at the exit of the dining hall. He and his retinue were the last to leave. The only light was the torches burning at the entrance to the hall, casting their light down the darkened roads of Teseida. Snow was falling at a steady rate.

The group of Humans and Awoken eyed him now, but Shaxx gestured to them. They passed him reluctantly, moving on towards the main hall.

"I am," he replied to her question once the others were gone. "It's too dangerous to make the crossing now."

"So I'm stuck here?" Efrideet asked, smoldering. Literally. She half-consciously smothered the fire building up in her palm.

"I didn't say that," Shaxx said. "Walk with me?"

Efrideet bristled. "Rather stay here, if that's alright." She felt much more confident away from Shaxx's entourage. How many of them were Risen? She still didn't know.

If it came to it, she was pretty sure she could take Shaxx alone, especially without his armor or a weapon. As every good Iron Lord knew, though, a Risen did not need weapons to be dangerous. Shaxx’s battle capability was still an unknown.

Shaxx sighed. "I see your concern," he said. "But I didn’t say you couldn't leave."

Efrideet stared him down. "You closed the roads," she said.

"And is that enough to stop a Guardian of the Iron Banner?" Shaxx asked. He started to grin, but smoothed out his expression when she didn't react.

"Then if I leave, you won't stop me?" Efrideet asked, hoping to make sure.

"I won't stop any Risen who wants to come or go during the winter," Shaxx said, "though if they will heed me, I'd advise against it."

Efrideet frowned, and took a step back. "I see."

Shaxx inclined his head to her. "You have nothing to worry about, Iron Lady," he told her, sincerely. "Walk with me now? I'll go with you back to your room."

Efrideet did not know what to answer, so she went with her gut. "Sure," she said.

As they walked, Shaxx asked her a handful of other questions - when could he expect a reply from the Iron Temple? What were they likely to say? (For this one, Efrideet couldn't begin to give him an answer.)

As they stopped outside her door, Shaxx asked something else. "Are you sure you're going tomorrow?" he asked.

“I should,” she said. “The Iron Temple will expect my report at some point before spring, I’m guessing.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked with an unexpected note of hopefulness.

Efrideet paused. She searched for some hidden meaning in his question, and could find none. “I think so,” she said carefully. “I’ll be leaving fairly early, to try to get over the mountains before nightfall. Will you be awake?”

“Yes!” Shaxx said, quickly. “I’ll make my farewells to you in the morning, then.”

Efrideet couldn’t help but smile. “Alright. I’ll be back before too long, though.”

With this tentative promise, Shaxx bid her goodnight, and left her to her room. She got ready for bed, hoping to fall asleep early.

“Tolliba?” she said.

“Ye-es?”

Her oldest friend was making some joke at her expense here, but Efrideet couldn’t figure out what. “Knock me out when I go to bed tonight, okay?”

“Sure thing.” The Ghost buzzed for a moment, something Efrideet had come to associate with happiness. “Shaxx is not what I expected him to be, for sure.” 

“No,” Efrideet agreed. Her neither.


	3. Warning

Through the increasing wind and driving snow, along came a light, moving slowly through the storm.

The light was mostly indistinguishable from the snow, and even in the darkness it was dim enough to not attract attention to itself. At least, that’s what it fervently hoped.

The village ahead was bigger and more advanced than any Jewel had found this far north. He wasn’t sure if that was good news or bad news. Size made it strong - but it also made it a target.

As he floated up the way, he heard the sound of laughter and saw small firepits burning around the main square. If he had the physical capability to wince, he would have. 

Still, that wince might have been followed by a whoop of exultation. At last, shelter! The idea of a good fire, even if it was foolish under the circumstances, sounded too good to be true to Jewel.

As he approached the town limits, he heard movement behind him.

In an instant, he had buried himself under the snow. It was shockingly cold, and he turned off his temperature receptors as quickly as he could. Not wise, given the kind of damage the cold could do to his systems if left long enough, but it was all he could do for now.

He heard a faint, low chatter. The monsters were talking to one another. He dimmed his light as far as it could go, although he couldn’t go much lower than he already had. Ghosts shone, a little bit, there was nothing to be done about that. That was a sign they were alive, filled with the life-giving Light of the Traveler. 

Jewel heard footsteps above him. Dread filled him. He was so close. So close to refuge. If only he could have warned the village, maybe they’d be spared the same fate that was coming for him.

Could he run? No. A Fallen wire rifle could pick him out of the air at a hundred meters, even in this weather.

The chattering was louder now. He closed his eye -

And nearly missed the sound of a Fallen head blowing off, ether escaping into the air.

The Fallen comms lit up, and the night was filled with the sound of fire being exchanged. Jewel had no idea what was going on up there, and wasn’t sure if he should care, so long as he stayed nestled in the snow.

It was times like these he wished, in the Traveler's infinite wisdom, it had given him some kind of onboard gun and targeting system. As it was, all he could do was sit and wait.

Almost as soon as the gunfire started, though, it began to recede. The Fallen grunted and shrieked, and their part in the fight - stinking blue flashes above the snow - began to be replaced by the fire from a single, unmistakably Human weapon, barking over and over again, each shot bringing down another blue gun.

A spark of fire from above, sailing over him. It detonated in a flash and a rush of heat, extinguished almost immediately by the bitter cold.

That heat was familiar. Comforting. It was born of the same as himself.

A Risen was here.

As the Fallen retreated, Jewel remained hidden. The comm network was alight with the same deduction - Sha'ir, over and over again.

The Fallen were gone, but the trouble remained. Some Risen would kill a Ghost, cut out a future opponent before she ever came to be.

So Jewel remained nestled, and hoped the Risen would make their way back into town, and certainly not bother to scour the field.

It was a bad plan. Risen were Risen, after all.

…

"Tolliba?" she asked.

"You got 'em," her Ghost replied. "The others are running scared."

Efrideet slung her sniper across her back. She peered out over the snow. The Fallen were turning tail. She thought she could pick some of them off, but they were moving on all sixes, and would probably be out of sight by the time she got her sniper ready.

She could already see lights coming on from Teseida. She winced at all the attention that was about to come down on her.

Well, nothing to be done about that. A Fallen raiding party would have cut through this place like butter.

It would, she thought, if this were a normal settlement. Would the Risen staying here have chosen to defend it, like a miniature Last City? Best to worry about that another time.

"Hey. I'm picking something up," Tolliba said.

As she spoke Efrideet was already picking her away across the battlefield, looking for scrap. Anything that could help the Warlocks understand Fallen technology better would be well appreciated at the Temple - and reverse engineered Fallen weapons were already proving to be deadly in the field. "What is it?" she asked.

"I think it's a Ghost," Tolliba said.

Efrideet paused. "You sure?" and then, "Dead?"

"Yes, and no."

"Well, are they alive, or aren't they?"

"No, I was responding to - ugh. Hunters," Tolliba sighed as a grin spread across Efrideet's face. 

"Okay, okay," Efrideet said. "Where's this Ghost?"

"About five meters to your left."

Efrideet turned. There was nothing there except a blank patch of snow.

"Go on, dig," Tolliba said. "Gently, please. Don't wanna scare the little guy."

“Yes, ma’am.” As Efrideet crouched down, what was plain to Tolliba became plain to her. A little light pulsed, rapidly being buried by the shifting winds.

It didn't take too long to scoop it out. She held it up, searched for any sign of life. “They’re alive,” Efrideet said, breathing out a lick of flame in her relief. 

The eye twitched, stared up at her. She smiled at it. 

“Hang on,” Tolliba said. “Maybe I can help.” She popped out on Efrideet’s shoulder, and a wash of light covered all three of them. Tolliba was lending a little bit of her Light - not as a gift, but as a candle can ignite another wick.

The Ghost's lights flickered on.

"Nice," Efrideet whispered.

"Not really," Tolliba said, sounding a bit miffed. "He wasn't damaged. Just hiding from us."

Efrideet turned towards their new friend. The Ghost hovered up in her palm and, if it was possible for a Ghost to look sheepish, did so.

"Sorry about that," he said. His voice was a bit raspier than most Ghosts she knew. "You can't trust anyone out here. Especially not a Risen. I hope you understand."

Tolliba huffed inside Efrideet's head, but Efrideet thought she did understand. She had met a lot of Risen in her life. A lot of Ghosts, too.

"We should get inside," Efrideet said. "I mean, assuming you want to spend the night."

The wind was picking up. If Efrideet wasn't a Guardian, she'd be well on her way to frostbite by now. Snow bellowed around them, and if it weren't for the lights Efrideet thought she'd have a hard time even seeing Teseida from here.

The Ghost looked around. "That would be nice," he said, phrased in a way that was almost a request.

…

Jewel asked to be placed near a radiator to, quote, "Melt the ice in my core". Efrideet didn't have a problem with that, except that by the time she had found him one, half of the village knew about the Fallen attack, and about Jewel.

In any other village, she would have expected a line at her door, full of people straining to see a Ghost with their own eyes. 

Teseida, though, was well familiar with Risen. So far she gathered that their presence here was not coincidence, but something that happened with some frequency.

Too bad. She could handle the curious eyes of villagers. Now, though, the only people who came to see Jewel, crowding her little camp and crackling with power, were other Risen.

“May we see it?" A tall man, a Titan, with a stern face was standing in front of her. His arms were crossed and his foot traced unconscious patterns in the snow.

"Him," Tolliba shot back over Efrideet's shoulder. "And his name is Jewel."

The Titan hardly spared Tolliba a glance. Instead, he stared at Efrideet with burning purpose. "May I see him?" he corrected after a few moments.

"Jewel's still taking time to recover," Efrideet said. "He doesn't really want visitors right now," she added, delicately, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

There was silence for a few moments as the Titan seemed to size her up. Then, he shrugged. 

"Alright," he said, like it was no big deal.

He turned around and started spreading the word around to the tight cluster of other Risen that had gathered around them. Efrideet let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"I don't like it," Tolliba whispered. She had transmitted back out of sight when the Titan turned around. "Why are so many Guardians wanting to see a Ghost?"

Efrideet could only think of one reason. "We'll stay on our toes," she replied. "In the meantime, we should probably try to get him out of here as quickly as we can."

"You think it's that dangerous?" Tolliba asked. 

Efrideet shook her head. "I don't know. But there's something weird about this. Haven't you noticed?"

Efrideet's appeal was as much to get outside confirmation as anything else, but Tolliba hummed to herself, thoughtfully.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rustling sound from the tent, as Jewel himself floated out into the snow.

"Is everyone gone?" he asked.

"You're welcome," Efrideet said, crossing her arms. "So, is there something going on we should know about?"

"Actually, yes," the Ghost said. "But I only want to deliver my message to the leader of this settlement, and then I will be on my way."

"Only to the leader?" Efrideet repeated, careful - on instinct - not to let anything about Shaxx slip out yet. "Something top secret?"

"It's something I don't want getting out just yet," Jewel said. "Not if it’s coming from a strange Ghost instead of an authority figure people trust."

Efrideet couldn't deny that made sense. But there was something else bothering her.

“Who do you work for?” she asked.

Jewel made a scoffing noise. “I have no Guardian,” he said. “Why? Should I, so that I can be entrusted on dangerous missions?”

“I mean,” Efrideet said, “the Iron Lords sometimes employ Ghosts to do reconnaissance work. Are you one such?”

Jewel’s light cycled as he took a few seconds to respond. “I’m not attached to any organization of Risen,” he said eventually. “I’ve done some work for the Pilgrim Guard in the past, and by work, they mostly just let me tag along through some of the more dangerous areas.” His shell spun, and Efrideet thought he sounded embarrassed by this admission.

“So what are you doing here?” Tolliba asked.

Jewel’s casing finished twirling, definitely defensive now. “Passing through,” he said. “Are you going to take me to this Warlord now, or what? Because I can find someone who can.”

Efrideet sighed, and made no effort to disguise it. It wasn’t like she hadn’t worked with stubborn contacts before - and Jewel was certainly not the worst she’d seen - but her patience was not unlimited. “Follow me,” she said.

Jewel ended up nestling just beneath her cloak as she made her way through the snow-filled streets. To her, it seemed like every crunch of her boot drew attention, someone looking to catch a glimpse of Jewel. If she was being too paranoid, good. Better that than the alternative.

No one had made a move against him, yet. But the more Efrideet thought about it, the more she shared the Ghost’s worries. In a camp full of Risen, only a handful of whom had pledged to the Iron Banner or the Pilgrim Guard, a Ghost needed to be careful.

Eventually, the Warlord’s hall loomed ahead. It was nearly buried in the snow. One lone Risen laboured to unfreeze it, his hands heated with fire. He was alone, and did not acknowledge Efrideet as she passed.

It was the man she'd met on the road. He stared intently at his work, not even looking up to ask about Jewel.

"What now?" Tolliba asked.

Efrideet strained her hearing. Sure enough, with Shaxx, it did not take much effort to find what she was looking for.

"...need the extra firepower," Shaxx was saying down a different road. "Who knows how long this winter will be?"

Whoever he was talking to did not reply. Or maybe, their voice just couldn't muster the same force as Shaxx's.

As Efrideet appeared, the two - Shaxx and a heavily cloaked Warlock she recognized as Nadia, seeming to be drawing her cloak tightly around herself against the cold - stopped and stared.

Efrideet felt a moment of tenseness before she realized they were probably looking at Jewel, who had appeared over her left shoulder.

Something unreadable passed across Nadia’s face. Shaxx just laughed.

"So," he said. "I take it that's our guest from last night?"

Jewel bobbed in place. Some sort of… Ghost curtsy? Efrideet wondered.

"It's a pleasure," Jewel said. "Can we talk? I have a message I need to deliver. To you." 

Efrideet didn’t think she had told Jewel anything about Shaxx, or that he was the Warlord he was looking for. But maybe the Ghost could just tell.

"Of course we can!" Shaxx said. "I need to finish sorting out all of the, ah, snow related issues we're having. But then we'll have all the time in the world."

"With respect, my Lord," Jewel said with the proper terms for dealing with a Warlord, "this cannot wait."

Efrideet felt she was in the middle of something she shouldn't be. She had been making plans to leave before this. The Temple still needed news of Shaxx’s counter-offer.

Shaxx turned to stare at Efrideet like a whip. His gaze rooted her to the ground. “Lady Efrideet!” he boomed. “You’re still here!”

He caught himself. “That’s - good!” he said. “That is… weren’t you going back to the Temple?”

“I was,” Efrideet said. “But I got caught up in pushing back a Fallen raiding patrol. And saving this guy.” She gestured towards Jewel.

“That was you!” Shaxx laughed. “I should have known. The Fallen didn’t get inside of a hundred meters, they tell me.”

Jewel was practically steaming at this point. Efrideet looked at him, a bit sheepishly. “Um,” she said. “Should I leave? So you can talk to Shaxx?”

Shaxx waved dismissively. “No, no, stay,” he said. “You too, Nadia. Anything that’s said to me can be said to you lot.”

By ‘you lot’, Efrideet assumed Shaxx was referring to the town at large. But it did make her wonder, watching Nadia shrug in assent.

She probably wasn’t that interested in hearing Jewel out, but a Warlock’s curiosity always shone through.

“Very well,” Jewel said. “But please keep this to yourselves? I don’t want to start a panic.”

Shaxx’s demeanor changed in an instant. “What sort of panic?” he asked.

“Follow me,” Jewel said, and turned to make his way inside.

The hall was empty. In the cold gray light of morning, it looked rather small to Efrideet. The fires had been extinguished, leaving the place looking a little drab compared to when Shaxx’s ‘court’ filled it.

“I’ve come from the south,” Jewel began. “Towards the old English Channel.”

“Dangerous place,” Nadia mused.

“I dipped in and out among the Pilgrim Guard patrols,” Jewel said. “But it didn’t stick. I struck out on my own. I’m good at hiding.” He shook himself a little bit, remembering himself. “My point is that, while I was out there, I noticed the Fallen presence getting heavy.”

“What do you mean?” Shaxx asked.

“Patrols are constantly scouting now,” Jewel said. “One of their Ketches was parked above the Channel last I checked, and the Fallen were raiding all along the coast.”

Shaxx looked at Nadia. “So you left?” he asked.

“Right,” Jewel said. “...but I don’t think I left unnoticed. That Fallen party…”

“You think one of them followed you,” Efrideet interrupted.

Jewel’s edges spun in what Efrideet recognized as annoyance when Tolliba did it. “Yes,” he said. “And I don’t think they’re alone.”

Nadia frowned in concentration. “Why would the Fallen spare more than one raiding party to follow one Ghost?” she asked.

“Maybe if they thought he was going somewhere safe,” Efrideet said. It was beginning to make sense to her. “The Fallen are always looking for new settlements to raid.”

The four were silent. Efrideet stole a glance at Shaxx, who looked deep in thought.

“Where do you think they’re camped?” Shaxx said. 

“In the northern mountains,” Jewel said. “They’ve been circling up and around, but if I had to guess, they’re keeping back a large force in the south, too. I have no idea what their strength is, but if the past is any indication, they’re planning an assault.”

Shaxx nodded. Efrideet wondered how much experience he had with the Fallen.

If it were up to her, she’d gather up all the Risen who would join them, and take the fight to them. Depending on how numerous the Fallen forces were, she would bet they could at least give the Fallen a bloody nose. Make them rethink a full scale attack.

It wasn’t her call, though. Shaxx had crossed his arms and was staring up at the ceiling.

“Shaxx?” Nadia asked. “What of the tournament?”

“First the snow and now this, eh?,” Shaxx sighed.

“Tournament?” Efrideet said. “You still want to hold some kind of fair, when we could be fighting the Fallen?”

“Oh, look at that,” Nadia leered. “Now we’re saying ‘we’. Don’t you have important Iron Lord messages to courier?”

“That’s enough,” Shaxx said.

Efrideet cringed. She didn’t know why she had lashed out at Nadia like that. Perhaps the Fallen threat had her more worried than she would admit. Or maybe she was nervous at the prospect of finding out who was willing to fight, and who was not.

She couldn’t help but think that a Risen eager to win glory in a tournament was not likely the type to put that away just to fight Fallen.

“No,” Shaxx said after a few moments. “The tournament goes on.” 

Nadia nodded, satisfied. “I should be going, then, to let you think this over.” She nodded towards Jewel. “And don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone until Shaxx does.”

She left just the three of them. Efrideet opened her mouth to say something - about the tournament, about the Fallen. She wasn’t quite sure yet.

She didn’t get the chance. “The tournament is still on?” Jewel said. “Aren’t you planning to… do something about the Fallen?”

“Of course I am, Ghost,” Shaxx said. “The tournament brings Guardians of all kinds. And it keeps them here. If there’s a Fallen threat to worry about, we’ll have the force to deal with it.”

Efrideet couldn’t deny the sense of it. “What if they attack while the fight is in progress?” she asked. “They might have the upper hand. Many of your people will be distracted. And, well, some of the Risen might not be happy about having to fight a real war when they came here to… sport.”

“We’ll make sure everyone knows the risks ahead of time,” Shaxx said firmly. For the first time, Efrideet thought she could detect irritation in his voice. “But this tournament has been planned for years now. And goodwill is important, this far away from your City.”

“I understand that.” She wasn’t sure she liked it, but she did understand it. 

“Suit yourself,” Jewel said primly. “I’ve done my part. Hopefully your bloodthirsty gladiators can pretend to be Guardians long enough to save your people.” He turned, and primly sped out the door to punctuate his point.

Shaxx turned to Efrideet. He didn’t seem that disgruntled. If anything, his earlier mirth was beginning to return. “You know,” he said. “We could… use another set of hands on deck. Should your business with the Iron Lords not be too pressing,” he added hastily.

Efrideet smiled. Her entire job was to come here and go back, so if she stayed, she would be failing half of her duty.

“It might be good if I left,” she said. “I can convince the Iron Lords to help. They will, you know,” she added. “Warlord or not.”

Shaxx scoffed. “I won’t be beholden to any Iron Lord,” he said. “And nor will my people.”

“It won’t be like that,” Efrideet said.

He paused, and looked her up and down. “Maybe you wouldn’t feel that way,” he said. “But I’ve met Iron Lords who would. Who will.” He shook his head. “I don’t want any Iron Lord army turning up at my door. Just for the record.”

He stood up and made his way towards the door. “I have more work to do,” he called over his shoulder. “Please, as usual, make yourself at home. Leave when you are ready.” He pushed the door flaps aside and stepped out into the snow. Efrideet caught a glimpse of a number of people, Risen or otherwise, waiting for him. Conversation broke out as the flaps closed.

“Well,” Tolliba said. “That’s not what I was hoping for, personally.”

Efrideet sighed. “Not unexpected,” she said. “Warlords are proud.” Still. She had hoped that Shaxx was different.

“Iron Lords, too,” Tolliba pointed out. “So what next?”

Efrideet’s feet itched to go for a walk. “I’m open to suggestions,” she said. “But in the meantime… I really have to get out of this hut.”

…

The cold air felt great. Her breath curled into tangible clouds in front of her. Her thoughts seemed to run more unencumbered out here. 

She supposed, in the end, it didn’t really matter what Shaxx wanted. She could always go out and get reinforcements, who could come and attack the Fallen without Tesseida’s involvement. An Iron Lord strike force could get here quickly enough, Efrideet presumed. The Fallen were just as hampered by the winter as they were, and wouldn’t attack until conditions were better. Surely they could -

She stopped, and took a deep breath. She was already planning the battle from start to finish. That wasn’t her job… yet. Her job was to deliver the message.

She took the opportunity to look out over the snow. Some of the workers had begun to free the buildings from their icy burials already, civilians shoveling it away and Risen melting it with careful Light, and people were emerging, beginning to go about their normal business. 

It was almost idyllic. It reminded her of the City’s early days, but even better, somehow. The City had rarely been free of Fallen attacks back then.

The people of Teseida probably had more to fear from the Fallen than the City did, but they didn’t act like it. So far, they had probably been able to keep themselves a secret. It was how many of the Dark Age villages had gotten on.

The trouble was, all of those villages eventually ended up falling to the Fallen in the end.

She felt a strong surge of protectiveness. She didn’t want to see that happening here.

She had turned around to fetch her things for the journey when she heard loud footfalls to her left.

Shaxx stood there, in full armor. The horns on his helmet caught the light in a particularly violent fashion.

“Iron Lady,” he said, in that particularly affable tone of his. 

She smiled. “Lord Shaxx,” she replied. “It seems we keep running into each other.” She hoped she didn’t sound displeased.

“So it seems!” He dropped his voice to conversation level. “Although, I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Are you going to ask me to stay?”

“...Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

Teasing Shaxx was more fun than she anticipated. There was something endearing about the way he obviously course-corrected when she didn’t meet him as head-on as he had expected her to.

“I have one final request of you, if you would be willing,” he said.

Now he turned his gaze to the mountains. “I need to know how strong the enemy is,” he said. “I need intelligence for that.”

Efrideet was already shaking her head. “If you’re sending me on a scouting run-”

“Not alone.”

“-I can’t. I really have to go, and besides, I don’t do work for any random Warlord-”

“With me.”

Efrideet fell silent. She scanned the Warlord as best she could, looking for any body language, any tell that could make her understand anything about what he had just said.

“You want to go on a scouting run with me?” she asked.

“You’re one of the big names of the Iron Lords,” Shaxx said, and shrugged. “And one of the newest. You’ve forged your own legend in a fifth of a time the other Iron Lords have. The other RIsen here are good, but they’re not as good as you.”

Efrideet opened her mouth - to refuse? To defend the other Iron Lords? - but Shaxx wasn’t done.

“And besides,” he said. “I don’t offer this for nothing.”

“I don’t need Glimmer.”

“If you come and scout with me,” he said, “I’ll relent. My people will go with yours as soon as the contract is signed.”

Efrideet was quiet for a few moments. Shaxx, as if to bolster his word, removed his helmet.

The dark hair was as big a mess as she’d ever seen it. She wondered what had happened. Shaxx was not necessarily a man for ornamentation, but neither was he one to completely disregard his appearance.

Look at her! Thinking about Shaxx like she actually knew the man, when his latest offer proved she knew little more than nothing.

“You will?” she repeated. It sounded dumb, but she sent a little signal that went deeper than thought to Tolliba. Record this.

Shaxx nodded seriously. “I promise,” he said, as if he knew his next statement would go back to the Iron Lords, “I will move my people to the Last City when the time comes.” Then, he smiled. The restraint of the gesture made it seem odd on his face.

She thought about what Radegast would say. Then she realized it didn’t matter. Her job, now, was to report back about the Fallen threat, and how could she do that if she didn’t know anything about it?

And it would be nice to have backup.

“Alright,” she said. She carried on, unthinkingly, like she was talking to one of the recruits. “Gear up, make sure you’re ready. I’ll be here.”

Shaxx laughed. He put his helmet back on and unholstered a hand cannon at his hip. “Ready when you are,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! I can't believe I updated this fic so quickly it ended up on 9/16, even though the last one was on 9/23. I'm really proud of how well I can update my ongoing fics at this point. W - huh? Oh, no, don't pay any attention to - the number at the end of the date doesn't mean anything, it's just decoration, wait no don't check -


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